The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hemerocallis plant of hybrid origin, botanically known as Hemerocallis ‘VT Spirit’ and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘VT Spirit’.
The new cultivar was developed through a breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Danville, Va., and Carrollton, Va. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new cultivars of triploid Hemerocallis by crossing diploid and tetraploid cultivars of Hemerocallis. The goal of the breeding program was to create new cultivars of Hemerocallis that are sterile, long blooming, and attractive.
‘VT Spirit’ arose from a cross made in the summer of 2005 between ‘Pumpkin Prince’ (not patented) as the female parent and ‘Pumpkin Kid’ (not patented) as the male parent. Seed pods were collected when they were 12 days old and sent overnight to the lab in Danville, Va., where embryo rescue was performed. The resulting plants were lined out for evaluation in Carrollton, Va., in the spring of 2006. ‘VT Spirit’ was selected as a single unique plant in May of 2007.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by division by one of the Inventors in Danville, Va. in 2007. Propagation by division and tissue culture has determined that the characteristics of this cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.